Business mission aims to facilitate more Singapore-Guangdong joint efforts in the services sector
Guangdong-Singapore Bilateral Enterprises Council seeks to drive more SME-related collaborations and complement efforts of current Singapore-Guangdong Cooperation Council
Singapore, Tuesday, 21 July 2009 - The Singapore Business Federation (SBF) organised a five-day business mission to Guangdong Province, 13 to 17 July 2009, to facilitate Singapore companies’ exposure to Guangdong’s business opportunities and to foster closer business ties between both sides.
Supported by International Enterprise (IE) Singapore and Association of Small & Medium Enterprises (ASME), the business mission to Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, was in conjunction with the official visit by Singapore’s Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Rear Admiral (NS) Lui Tuck Yew. Leading the business delegation were SBF CEO, Mr. Teng Theng Dar (邓腾达先生) and deputy mission leader, Mr. Poh Choon Ann, Group Chairman and CEO of Poh Tiong Choon Logistics Ltd. Mr. Teng led 42 representatives from the Singapore business community to engage in various business meetings with their Guangdong counterparts. The Singapore delegation came from a diverse range of sectors including finance, information communication technology, logistics, tourism and hospitality, education, and media business.
One of the mission’s highlights was the inaugural Guangdong-Singapore Bilateral Enterprises Council (GSBEC or 广东-新加坡企业家理事会) meeting co-chaired by Mr. Teng, and CCPIT (China Council for the Promotion of International Trade) Guangdong Council President, Mr. Chen Wen Jie, on 15 July in Guangzhou.
Joining the Singapore delegation at the GSBEC meeting with their Guangdong counterparts were 27 members from the Singapore Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China (SingCham), led by its Chairman, Ms. Dorothy Seet, and the Chairman of SingCham Guangzhou Chapter, Mr. Henry Liow. SingCham’s participation in this business mission follows the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between SBF and SingCham on 28 January this year, to facilitate business exchanges, information sharing and form a strategic partnership to promote cooperation through joint initiatives for the benefit of members of both chambers. This will be the first of the many SBF-SingCham joint activities lined up for the benefit of their members.
The first GSBEC meeting follows its establishment in September 2008 when an MOU was signed between SBF, CCPIT Guangdong Council and China Chamber of International Commerce Guangdong Chamber of Commerce (CCIC Guangdong CC) at the China Guangdong-Singapore Business Conference 2008.
Other key features of the business mission included networking sessions with Guangdong provincial leaders and Guangzhou municipality leaders; briefings by local government officials, business matching sessions and site visits to local companies. The Guangdong government accorded top-level of protocol and hospitality to the Singapore business missions. SBF members had the invaluable opportunity to network with high-level government officials including Guangdong Party Secretary Wang Yang Guangdong Governor Huang Hua Hua, Vice Governor Wan Qingliang and Guangzhou Party Secretary Zhu Xiaodan.
Mr. Teng said, “In recent years, business collaboration between Singapore and Guangzhou has been boosted by the expanding scope for cooperation. The Guangdong-Singapore Bilateral Enterprises Council will serve as the key platform to facilitate business exchanges between both sides to strengthen business ties. I am confident that the Enterprises Council will be an effective bridge between Guangdong and Singapore entrepreneurs. Whilst the MOU calls for cooperation in the sectors of finance, electronic, manufacturing, communications, construction materials, logistics, environment, urban planning, education, healthcare, corporate services and tourism, we should first strengthen the bilateral cooperation in two areas ?C the SMEs and services sectors.”
Mr. Teng elaborated more on the opportunities for Singapore and Guangdong SMEs, “There is certainly immense potential for SME bilateral collaboration as SMEs make up 99 per cent of 161,000 Singapore-based companies. Six in 10 workers in Singapore are employed by SMEs. Singapore-based SMEs, with their strong international business links, can help ease the entry of Guangdong’s SMEs into other markets such as ASEAN. Singapore companies also play an important part in spurring international trade, taking on the role of a catalyst in the facilitation of deals and projects between Chinese enterprises and enterprises in other parts of the world. We can help to facilitate their needs according to their niche areas. The Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME), an SBF Constituent Member, will also play an active role in the bilateral activities and this may encourage other SBF members to join in this Singapore-Guangdong business cooperation and interaction platform.”
Based on general feedback gathered by SBF, the amount of business generated from this mission is expected to be approximately S$10 million over the next 12 months, while the amount sales under negotiation is likely to be around S$200,000.
SBF also signed a MOU with Guangdong Development District (GDD) and NewBridge to promote the Guangdong Knowledge City project to SBF members and GDD together with NewBridge will facilitate SBF members’ exploration of business opportunities. The MOU was signed on 21 Jul during Guangzhou Party Secretary Zhu Xiaodan’s visit to Singapore.
In 2008, Guangdong, with a population of 93 million, was ranked first on China’s provincial GDP list in terms of the market size and spending power. Singapore is the fifth largest foreign investor in Guangdong. Guangzhou and Shenzhen are the top two choices for market development in the Pearl River Delta.
About Singapore Chamber of Commerce & Industry in China (SingCham)
The Singapore Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China (SingCham China) is a non-government, non-profit organisation representing Singapor's business interests in China. SingCham China is officially registered with the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs in 2001 and it currently has representations in Beijing, Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Jiangxi.
SingCham China aims to promote bilateral economic and commercial ties by educating, connecting and informing the members. To do these, it runs events comprising talks and seminars on economic and business issues, business visits, golf tournaments, and business networking sessions. These events aim to help its members understand better the local business environment as well as appreciate policy shifts and economic trends, while at the same time provide opportunities to link up and network with potential business partners.
To further strengthen ties between the various Singapore communities in China, SingCham formed partnerships with the local alumni of Nanyang Technological University and National University of Singapore through joint events and programmes such as SingCham Beijing's Board Room Series. It also started collaboration with local Singaporean associations and clubs such as Shanghai Singapore Business Association-Singapore Club Shanghai to introduce local-based business events.
SingCham China now has approximately 1,000 members mainly in six Provinces/Municipalities i.e. Beijing, Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Shanghai. SingCham will extend its reach to other Provinces/Municipalities such as Chongqing, Sichuan and Tianjin.
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